Willmore Wilderness Newsletter - Willmore Wilderness Foundation

Transcription

Willmore Wilderness Newsletter
Youth Venture into Willmore
We want to recognize this year’s
youngest traveler in Willmore. Jaely
Moberly (age two weeks) was the smallest
Willmore trail hand, and she traveled to
Kvass Flats Camp on two occasions. A
close second in the youngest category is
five-week old Payden who went to Corral
Creek Camp with big sister Brooklyn
and his parents, Joey Landry and Tyler
McMahon. The third youngest goes out
to six-month old Zarina who traveled
to Kvass Flats with her mother Becky
Leonard. Special mention goes out to
three-year-old Zachary and one-year-old
Marcus, sons of Jim and Angela Leonard
who accompanied Zarina and her mom.
Continuing on in the youth theme,
pictured above are youth who hiked to
Kvass Flats Camp with their moms for a
three-day camping trip in August. From
left to right are travelers Payton with
mom Jaeda Feddema, also holding Jaely
on their second trip. The lovely Rowan
is eating a cookie with her mom Kim
Teneyck also holding son Julien, with son
Kahleb to the right.
Pictured (from left to right) above are
Jenn Houlihan, Angeen Hallock and Emy
Hallock. We wish to commend Jenn and
Emy who both started ‘wildies’ that were
running free in the mountains. Angeen
also started a frisky four-year-old mare
in the Larry Nelles Clinic. Our hats go
off to these three ladies. The Willmore
Wilderness Foundation sponsored these
young women along with many other
youth at the colt starting clinic.
Jenn, Angeen and Emy spent
extensive time in Willmore Park this
summer and fall riding their colts.
These three young ladies were filmed
during the clinic for the movie “Wildie”
currently in production. Way to go girls!
Page 2
Willmore Bannock Queen
Gather around fellow riders
So it came to be
The contest is over.
For a sad story I tell
On one rainy night
They called out in glee
About the Willmore Bannock Queen
The Queen & the stranger
Her slow descent to hell.
Did meet for the fight.
And what’s more its free!”
It all started with a challenge
The wood stove was fired
The Queen was despondent
That Queen Suzie threw out
And ingredients a-mix
And started to cry.
Honest judges were chosen
She jumped on her horse
Of that I have no doubt!”
To ensure there was no fix.
And off she did fly
But her subjects all muttered
Throughout the dark night
Back home to her cabin
This cannot be true
The bannock baked late
For a stranger has arrived
But soon it was time
And only his bannock will do.
And the judges set to ate.
The Queen she got mad
It was amazing to see
And said “Off with his head!”
The look on their faces
But her subjects all demanded
When the stranger’s bannock
A cook-off instead.
Was put in front of their places.
“My bannock is the best
“The strangers is better
Tucked along the Kvass,
Where she can still be heard saying
“That Brian can kiss my ass!”
Anonymous
Inside this issue
January 2011
Willmore Wilderness Foundation
Annual Newsletter
© Willmore Wilderness Foundation
no portion of this newsletter may be reprinted
without written permission.
Registered Charitable Organization
#89655 0308 RR0001
20
8
Willmore Wanderings
Jenn’s Journal
Financial Report
10
Auction Dates
24
Memberships
12
Youth Mentored
32
Grizzly Findings
14
Motion 507
16
Tales & Trails in the Wilderness
18
President’s Report 3
Views from Sheep Creek 6
Marvin (Red) Creighton
Moccasin Telegraph 22
24
Page 3
Annual Edition - January 2011
Pr esident ’s R eport
Hi Everyone:
It has been another busy year for
the Willmore Wilderness Foundation.
Of note, an extremely important
piece of legislation called Motion 507
was passed on April 12, 2010. Robin
Campbell, West Yellowhead MLA
introduced the Motion to the Alberta
Legislature. Motion 507 was designed
to keep Willmore Wilderness
Act intact. In the end, it wil keep
Willmore Wilderness Park unique,
governed under its own legislation.
A re-print of the Alberta Hansard
Report dated April 12, 2010 is in this
newsletter. It is well worth reading
and will help everyone understand
what went on behind the scenes. I
would say that this shows excellent
foresight on Robin Campbell’s part.
One of our biggest education
endeavors this year was the Larry
Nelles Colt Starting Clinic. The
Foundation sponsored a dozen youth
to attend. Two young teens brought
‘wildies’ that had been running
freely in the mountains. The girls
successfully started the wild mares.
We also sponsored several teenage
boys who started some pretty snuffy
colts. All in all, the six-day clinic was
a huge success. The youth, along with
many participants who were young
at heart, learned some valuable
lessons from Larry Nelles. We were
very pleased as three Jasper Park
Wardens attended the clinic along
with one Jasper Park Warden who
was a spectator. Thanks to Danny
Leonard and Cody Leonard who
were a great help to Larry. We hope
to bring Larry back again in June 2011.
.... continued on Page 4
Pictured Above: Bazil Leonard
Bottom Left: Larry Nelles
Bottom Right: Brittney Penny
Photos by S. Feddema-Leonard
President’s Report
Page 4
- continued from Page 3
Our trail clearing initiatives and
garbage clean-up initiative went
well. We would like to thank the
Alberta Conservation Association
for sponsoring garbage clean up and
trail maintenance done in Willmore.
We thank our volunteers Brian and
Deana Bildson, Andrew Manske, and
Virginia Moore who worked hard on
a nineteen-day trip in August of this
year. Our youth participants included
Logan Leonard and Tyler Hallock.
In fact, the Foundation mentored
eight youth during the 2010 Trail
Clearing Initiatives. These youth were
from Edson, Hinton and Grande
Cache. A snow fence was among
some of the garbage that the youth
collected. Our volunteers and youth
picked thousands of yards of pine
beetle ribbon from trees. This type of
plastic is not biodegradable. The youth
also picked up campsite garbage, as
well as doing basic trail maintenance
Garbage has been gradually
accumulating in the Park since 2002.
Foundation volunteers have been
trying to keep the campsites and
trails clean of trash, but the issue has
reached critical mass. A coordinated
effort needs to be organized with
respect to garbage removal. Old
barbed wire and metal posts are
strewn throughout the Park, which
SRD abandoned and have forgotten
about. The wire is a hazard to wildlife
and horses alike. We need to look
at an organized plan regarding the
collection of the abandoned research
sites—whose researchers have long
ago, gone and forgotten their scientific
projects.
The Willmore Wilderness
Foundation stocked various campsites
in Willmore with firewood as a
courtesy during the 2010 year. This
year we replenished Big Grave,
Sulphur Cabin, Camp Awasuk, Little
Grave, Boulder Creek and Porcupine
Lick campsites with wood. This was
done as bush etiquette, and we hope
that people who use the Willmore
would replace the firewood for the
next party that comes along.
Alberta Parks is constructing half
a dozen patrol cabins in Willmore.
They started the building this year.
The Willlmore Foundation Executive
is concerned about the location of
some of these cabins. We feel that
this is much more of a ‘Big Brother’
approach to managing the Park. In
days gone by, the Alberta Forest
Service and Fish and Wildlife used
horses and tents like the rest of the
Willmore users. Alberta Parks appear
to be adopting a Jasper Parks style of
management.
A second concern that surfaced
this year is regarding the motion
cameras that Alberta Parks is using
extensively. The Board of Directors is
very unhappy about the use of these
cameras and feels that it is an invasion
of privacy. Please read Brian Bildson’s
Article called “Big Brother,” which
elaborates on this.
We want to thank the Alberta
Fish and Game Association and the
Wild Sheep Foundation-Alberta
Chapter for sponsoring the 2010
Grizzly Bear Survey. We have had
twice as many sightings reported this
year than in 2009. Our staff member,
Jenn Houlihan is working very closely
with Nathan Webb, the Provincial
Carnivore specialist on the 2010
Survey. One thing I have noticed is
that the number of reports of twins
and triplets has increased dramatically.
This would indicate a very healthy bear
population. I would encourage you
Page 5
to read “2010 Grizzly Survey Report”
in the newsletter, which was put
together by Jenn Houlihan and myself.
Foundation was awarded the
Alberta Parks Trail Clearing
Contract for Willmore Wilderness
Park and Kakwa Wildland Park. The
Kakwa Contract went well and
the Board was very pleased with
the help that Grande Prairie Parks
staff supplied. They provided our
trail clearing crew with helicopter
support and use of their cabins
The Willmore Wilderness Trail
Clearing Contract was going well
until September when weather
ground things to a halt. Six-inch snow
conditions made it necessary to leave
Porcupine Lick earlier than expected,
as the snow conditions in the high
alpine area was less than ideal to
move an outfit through. All trails in
that area are in poor condition and
need a lot more work
We thank Ken South, Dave
Wildman and Richard Aarsen who
completed the Adams Creek and
Collie Creek Trail. The re-route
on the North Jack Knife was done
around the beaver dams and we
want to thank Ken and Gordon
Groat, who were working in extreme
weather conditions and on some of
the toughest trails that Willmore has.
Brian Allen completed the work on
the Little Berland and did a great job.
We thank Ken and Shelli Groat, Tom
Wanyandie, Dylan Kowalski and Banjo
Hallock who completed work on Jack
Knife Pass.
The Foundation did a lot of other
work, which was not part of the Alberta
Park Trail Clearing Contract. This work
was completed as our Foundation felt the
trails were in desperate need of clearing.
We thank Ed Regnier who cleared trail
from Blue Grouse Camp to half way up
the Blue Grouse Pass. The Foundation
cleared trail from Big Grave Cabin up to
Rocky Pass. This portion of the trail was
cleared by five youth that the Foundation
mentored. These youth included Tyler
Hallock, Banjo Hallock, Angeen Hallock,
Eli Hallock and Jenn Houlihan. The youth
ranged in age from thirteen to twenty.
They were all proficient trail hands at the
end of the trip.
Susan (Feddema-Leonard)
continues with her writing and filming.
There are many developments on
future book publications and film
productions. I would encourage you
to check out the Moccasin Telegraph
regarding this. I would be remiss if I
didn’t thank Susan for all her hours in
the mountains as a full-time trail hand.
She also does the cooking, filming,
journalizing and is the camp nurse. She
helped me tremendously in this regard.
Last but not least, we depend
on the support of our members at
our yearly auctions and fundraisers.
Without your support, we cannot do
this kind of work. We are hoping for
a good turnout for our fundraisers
this year. The dates are listed in the
Newsletter on Page 24.
Pictured Above: Participants take their colts
out for their first ride
Opposite or Left Hand Page:
Top: Jasper Park Warden Patti Walker,
one of three Wardens who started
a colt at the clinic.
Middle: Tyler McMahon, a Willmore guide
starts a colt at the clinc
Bottom: The crowd watches Larry Nelles a
“horseman’s horseman.”
Photos by Susan Feddema-Leonard
Page 6
Views from Sheep Creek
Brian Bildson - Executive Director
Big Brother in the Bush
Flash forward to August and my
own personal trip deep into the
Willmore. After three weeks on the
trail, I had finally depressurized and
reached that calm mental state that
only the bush can bring. That is, until I
met a bunch of irate cowboys on the
trail. As our pack-string passed theirs,
they called out, “Make sure you smile
for the camera!” At which point I
turned back to find out what they
were talking about.
Brian Bildson traps a wolverine
on his trapline at Sheep Creek
It wasn’t much of a conversation as
it essentially boiled down to the fact
they’d spotted a trail camera set up
taking pictures of anyone passing by
on the trail, and they were mad about
it. I couldn’t blame them, but at that
point I wasn’t sure whose camera it
really was. Once I hit civilization, it
didn’t take long to find out that the
cameras were set up as part of the
Human Dimension study.
I’ve always been proud to be a
Canadian. Not a rah-rah Yankeestyle patriotism, but just damn proud
of what this country has stood for
over the years. Canadians have gone
to several wars fighting and dying
for what we believe in—democracy,
human rights, and freedom. Yet
somehow we’ve allowed our own
freedoms to be slowly eroded right
here at home.
being conducted by Debbie Mucha, a U
of A grad student. This study was being
done in partnership with Alberta Parks,
the U of A, and the FRI. The purpose
of the study is “visitor-use analysis of
Willmore Wilderness Park” in an effort
to “help Parks identify users and deploy
resources to benefit users and provide
crucial data in developing marketing
strategies…” It sounds pretty
harmless on the surface, doesn’t it?
I’d like to share one example of
this slippery slope of loss of our rights,
and not surprisingly, my battle is with
the bureaucrats at Alberta Parks. Let
me explain. Back in June of this year,
a representative from the Foothills
Research Institute (FRI) attended the
AGM of the Willmore Wilderness
Foundation. Peter was there to discuss
a “Willmore Human Dimension” study
At the AGM we were told that
the information would be captured
through in-person surveys and
through the use of GPS tracksticks
offered to Park visitors to track their
movements throughout the Park.
One of our members brought up the
subject of trail cameras and was told
by the representative that he had no
knowledge of cameras being used.
I started to dig deeper and
contacted Debbie Mucha who was in
charge of the study. Debbie informed
me that while they may not have
mentioned the cameras at the AGM,
they had put an ad in the Hinton
newspaper about them. As I pushed
for more evidence of the consultation
process, Debbie went into defense
mode, and that was the last I heard
from her. At that point I felt that
contacting Parks was the way to go.
To be clear here; the real issue is
not the flawed public consultation/
information process, although that is
an all too-familiar trend with Parks.
No, the Foundation’s real concern
is the use by Parks of the cameras
for the purpose of capturing human
images. In fact, the Board of the
Willmore Foundation decided this
Page 7
issue was too big to ignore and tasked
me with pursuing this matter.
During the course of my
investigation, I discovered that trail
cameras are being used throughout
Alberta Parks to capture human
images. Whether it’s an attempt to
identify Willmore users or track
snowmobilers in the Wild Kakwa,
cameras have become pervasive in
many of our Parks. How do you feel
about that?
I know how I feel, and it’s not
good. Over the years I’ve bumped
into several trail cams set up by Parks;
however, by their location it was
obvious they were there for species
management purposes. From grizzly to
wolverine camera set-ups, I’ve found
them all. I’ve never complained about
or tampered with the cameras, as I
could see the rationale behind them.
So what’s the big deal with a trail
camera set-up for humans then? How
about the slow erosion of our rights to
privacy, in the very place it should be
treasured and protected? Take a look at
our society today. We’ve allowed fear,
or apathy, to taint our common sense,
and we have put cameras everywhere.
Whether in the name of fighting crime
or terrorism, cameras have become
pervasive in our public spaces.
It was with this thought in mind
that I entered into discussion with the
managers at Parks. After much backand-forth, an initial offer was made:
back off for this year, and the cameras
wouldn’t be put in place next year. Our
response was if they’re not appropriate
next year, they’re not appropriate
this year. I continued going back and
forth on the matter with Parks, but in
the end they are standing behind the
project and continuing on with it.
While they may be standing behind
the Research, at the same time, I’ve
sure noticed a lot of damage control.
Foothills Research Institute has pulled
their web page info on the project;
U of A researcher Debbie Mucha
has ceased all communications with
us; and, coincidentally, they finally
managed to run a piece in the Grande
Cache paper on the project on
September 29th — just before they
terminated the project for the year.
Doesn’t sound much like a project
they are proud of.
On the surface some folks may
think, what’s the big deal with
cameras unless you’ve got something
to hide? And besides, the cameras
aren’t there for enforcement purposes
anyway, right? While we have
nothing to hide, I’m not naïve, and
when pushed, the regional manager
conceded they would be used for
enforcement purposes should the
infraction be serious enough.
As for their other planned use for
the data to develop marketing plans,
I’d suggest they focus on actually
making the Park safe for those new
visitors. The trail systems are in
disarray and trail map information still
incorrect after years of Foundation
input and corrections. It seems like
Parks is in a hurry to get customers
for a product that isn’t yet safe for
their own residents, let alone a foreign
visitor. By the way, increased tourism
was their rationale for pushing for a
World Heritage designation for the
Willmore as well.
At the end of the day though, this
all comes down to one basic question.
Do you believe there should be places
for citizens to go where they can get
away from it all—places where you have
a reasonable expectation of privacy, and
chance to connect to the land?
If you do, shouldn’t a Wilderness
Park by definition be that very place?
The world is changing at a blazing
rate of speed. We have high speed
communication tools everywhere, and
our kids have disengaged from the real
world, preferring instead to spend their
time in some virtual world. In time
our wilderness parks have the real
potential of being an oasis of serenity
in a too-fast and over-developed world.
But apparently we need to be vigilant,
or they’ll just turn into another Banff
or Jasper—beautiful destinations, but
not a true wilderness.
Foundation was formed because of
issues just like this. The members are
committed to maintaining the original
intent of the Willmore Act, and that
does not include being photographed by
researchers looking for an easy way to
capture marketing data. Parks Minister
Cindy Ady, at Calgary.shaw@assembly.
ab.ca , is the perfect place to make your
opinion known.
Big Brother, back off,
and leave the Willmore wild!
Page 8
by Jim Babala
Marvin F. (Red) Creighton was
born October 6, 1902 in Greenhill,
Nova Scotia and moved to Alberta
in 1920. He went to work at logging
camps driving and breaking horses to
work skidding logs and as teams. Red
got to be known as one of the best
teamsters in the business, driving
four and six-ups. His horsemanship
got to be well known among logging
companies.
Author, Jim Babala was a
long-time Willmore Wilderness Park guide
and outfitter.
Photo courtesy of Jim Babala
He next moved to Jasper, Alberta
in 1924 and drove a dray team
delivering coal and other services
around the town of Jasper. In 1930
he started working for Jack Brewster
breaking horses and as a guide. In
1936 he and Stan Kitchen formed a
partnership in the outfitting business
that lasted until 1943 when he sold his
interest to Stan Kitchen.
In 1944 Red, in partnership with
Larry McGuire, bought out Jack
Brewster’s outfitting business.
Jack Brewster had a number of
young unbroken horses ranging
along the Rocky River. These horses
had never been handled or halter
broke, as Jack hadn’t been active for a
number of years. Larry McGuire had
grown up in Jasper and had worked as
a guide and wrangler. He had helped
outfitters in many horse roundups
and also had experience in breaking
horses. Larry and Red took on the
job of breaking these horses, and they
broke out forty head. The two of
them started outfitting in partnership
during the 1945 season and had a very
successful year.
The next year they were booked
up better than ever. That season they
booked a party of five from Boston: a
wealthy businessman by the name of
Endicott. Endicott brought along his
son, daughter, a friend of his daughter,
and his attorney of many years Col.
J. K. Howard. Col. Howard had just
returned to civilian life from the US
Army and was recovering from a bout
of malaria. He had been a colonel
under Gen. Stillwell.
Larry McGuire was a good friend of
John Haggblad, and he asked John if he
would guide for them during the 1946
season. John was assigned to guide
Col. Howard As the colonel was just
getting over malaria, he made the trip
mostly to help regain his health—so he
was taking it real easy. He was leisurely
enjoying his trail ride, camp life and
fishing. This outing was agreeing with
the colonel, and he was feeling better
than he had for some time.
John and the colonel decided to
make a try for a goat as they had
seen many goats low down on the
mountains. Even in the valleys, goats
were everywhere. The colonel
thought a goat would make a nice rug
for his daughter.
They made a spike camp and took
a goat as well as a good buck mule
deer. While spike camping, the topic
of sheep hunting came up. The colonel
was an experienced sheep hunter and
had made several trips after sheep. He
had made two trips with the famous
Jim Simpson from Bow Lake who had
taken the famous Simpson ram in 1924.
The best ram Col. Howard had
taken with Simpson had a 39¼-inch
curl with a light base and was taken
in 1929. The colonel told Jim that he
wanted a ram with a curl over 40
inches and a heavy base. John told
the Colonel that he figured he could
get one out of the Coal Branch area
where he and his brother Nick used
to hunt and outfit.
John told the colonel he had
promised to guide for Babala Bros.
Page 9
for the 1947 season. Babala Bros.
were starting an outfitting business
in Haggblad’s old hunting area, the
Coal Branch and Brazeau River. The
colonel said he would make the
hunt the following year if his health
continued to improve and if John
would guide him. He also made
arrangements with Red Creighton
to hunt elk in the Brazeau River area
from September 1 to 21 of 1947
to get an elk with better than six
points to the side. What he wanted
was seven points to the side or
better. He would then book with
Babala Bros. from September 25 to
October 12 and would confirm the
hunt during February of 1947. This
all depended on his health.
He phoned me during February,
confirming the proposed hunt, but
better yet, said his daughter would
accompany him also as a hunter. This
was Babala Bros.’ first non-resident
hunt from outside of Canada. This
made John Haggblad the “grandfather”
of Babala Bros. outfitting and Red
Creighton the “godfather.” I have
much to be grateful for to both these
men. Without their help and good
words of recommendation of the Coal
Branch area, I don’t believe we would
have booked this hunt.
The Endicott party had a very
successful hunt, taking a fine bag of
mixed trophies. The best rams taken
were in the 37 to 38-inch class. No
40-inch rams were seen, and now
more than ever, this encouraged the
colonel to hunt the Coal Branch area.
John Haggblad came back very
pleased with his trip with Red and
Larry. He was very impressed at how
well Red was organized and how well
he managed his outfit. John suggested
it would be good experience for me
to work a trip or two with Red and
Larry, but due to involvement in my
own outfitting business and constant
bookings, I was unable to do this.
Red continued to take good
rams in the Kvass area, taking an
exceptionally good head in 1949.
Ed Moberly guided a hunter to a
41½-inch ram during that season. Red
told me he felt the wrong hunter
had taken this fine ram, as he was
definitely not a sheep hunter. Red
said that the goat this hunter also
took meant as much to him as the
fine ram. He was not a trophy hunter,
and it was his first big game hunt and
probably his last. Red said he never
heard from the hunter again, as quite
often happens when a hunter only
makes one trip in a lifetime.
Red Creighton bought out Larry
McGuire in 1951, and Larry joined the
Park Warden Service. Red carried
on, however, running a first class
outfit. He retired from the outfitting
business in 1964 and sold his business
and the Black Cat Ranch to Dave
Slutker from Edmonton. On his
retirement Red lived in the Brule and
Hinton area and worked during the
winter months in Hinton and Jasper as
an ice maker for winter sports.
He was an expert at making curling
ice. Curling is a very popular winter
sport in Canada. As well, Red did a
lot of carpentry and eventually built
himself a home in Brule where he
retired and lived permanently. I visited
Red for the last time in late November
1984 and spent an evening with him.
I had just come back from hunting
Whitetail deer in the Czar-Provost
area of Alberta and was feeling pleased
as I had taken a fine record book
Whitetail, scoring 171-3/8 points.
Red Creighton in 1949
with a Record Book Ram
on the Sulphur River
that was not
officially recorded.
Photo courtesy of Jim Babala
... continued on page 13
Page 10
The Moccasin Telegraph
Many changes have hit Alberta’s
eastern slopes over the past half
century. The traditions, culture and
business of the people who have lived
in this region for generations have
been threatened. In order to become
proactive and help remedy this
situation, the Willmore Wilderness
Foundation applied to Alberta
Agriculture and Rural Development
for funding to help the mountain
business community make a transition
into today’s economy. The Foundation
developed the Transition to Traditions
initiative, which was successfully
funded through the Government
of Alberta’s Rural Community
Adaptation Grant Program.
Susan Feddema-Leonard
Photo by Jaeda Feddema
Thanks to the
Government of Alberta’s
Rural Community
Adaptation Grant Program
& to MLA Robin Campbell
Transition to Traditions will spend
two and a half years focusing on the
transition of a traditional economy
on Alberta’s eastern slopes. The
project will end in September 2011.
Transition to Traditions is designed in
part to create a database of the old
time knowledge and resources in the
region. The program also focuses
on producing and disseminating
educational videos and material,
featuring the old time traditions
of the area. The initiative hopes
to facilitate a strategy to help a
traditional business sector keep its
operations viable. The main goal of
the Transitions Program is focused on
facilitating the mountain community,
businesses and stakeholders into a
unique way of doing business.
The Willmore Board of Directors
felt it imperative to find a way to
give the mountain culture, traditions
and businesses a second breath of
life. What better way than through
multimedia. The Foundation had
vision and believed that educational
film production was a key ingredient
to get “the mountain story out there.”
The big question was, “Was it possible
to get film productions to a television
standard, so that the story could be seen
by a wider audience?” There was so
much to learn and a big mountain of
knowledge to climb.
The Foundation started the big
task of filming old timers and getting
their interviews for posterity. These
interviews were transcribed and
placed in a database. In fact, the
Foundation is still in the process of
interviewing and transcribing. Editor
Estella Cheverie and author Susan
Feddema-Leonard are working on
three more books and hope to go
to press with one of them in the
spring of 2011. All of the publications
are about the people and peaks of
Alberta’s eastern slopes.
The Foundation has also acquired
a state of the art film production
studio. People & Peaks Productions
was registered with Consumer and
Corporate Affairs as a Trade Name
under the Willmore Wilderness
Foundation. Susan Feddema-Leonard,
Film Producer and Director, explored
educational options and became
a successful graduate of the Serac
Adventure Film School in Colorado
and two Banff Adventure Filmmakers
Seminars. She had the good fortune
to study under the world-renowned
Film Producers Michael Brown and
Keith Partridge.
The next step was to develop
a movie production team. The
Foundation decided to enlist the
services of the mountain community
musicians and film production
personnel, subcontracting out many
of the projects. For example, the
Foundation secured the services of
Laura Vinson and Free Spirit to write
some original songs about Alberta’s
eastern slopes. Laura was an ideal
Page 11
Working on Long Road Home’s
postproduction sound at
Dave Martineau’s recording studio in
Brule Alberta.
Pictured from left to right are
Jerry Woolsey and Dave Martineau.
Photo by Dawn Woolsey
choice as she was born and raised
in the Rockies. She was the perfect
person to do the job as she has been
nominated many times for the National
Juno and Canadian country Music
Awards. Laura and her band Free Spirit
have many ARIA Awards for best Band,
Vocalist, Album, Single, and Song.
We were also fortunate to be able
to hire Dave Martineau who did all
the pre-production sound. Dave, a
resident of Brule is a singer, songwriter,
producer and multi-instrumentalist.
His musical proficiency has resulted in
two nominations for Pedal Steel Player
of the Year in the Canadian Country
Music Association Awards. A native
Albertan and well-known session
player/performer, he has provided
instrumental as well as vocal tracks on
numerous recordings across western
Canada. Dave has performed over the
years with people such as Tommy Banks,
The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra,
Ian Tyson, Crystal Gayle, kd lang, Laura
Vinson, Tommy Hunter, Ronnie Prophet,
Dick Damron and Wilf Carter.
Next, the Foundation had to
enlist a post-production soundman.
We were very fortunate to bring
on board, Jerry Woolsey who has
over thirty-five years experience
as a performing musician, engineer,
producer and technician. Jerry has
worked in film post-production sound
with clients such as the National
Film Board of Canada, Karvonen
Films, Alliance Entertainment,
LucasArts Entertainment, Northstar
Entertainment, Frame 30, Great
North, Kicking Horse, and many
other production companies. Film and
video shows have included Bye Bye
Blues, Due South, The Diviners, The X
Files, Jake and the Kid, Kung Fu - The
Legend Continues, Lonesome Dove,
Medicine River, Moccasin Flats, North
of 60, Ordeal in the Arctic, The Outer
Limits, Pigeons and Doves, and more.
He has two Junos under his belt for
work with Long John Baldry and The
McDades.
There was no second choice though
when it came to finding a narrator. Ken
Groat was the number one man to
provide professional narrations. His
roots run deep in the Canadian Rockies
for more than two hundred years.
Ken has more than five generations
of knowledge and experience behind
him. His leadership is invaluable, and
he is an excellent spokesperson for the
traditional knowledge, values and culture
of the eastern slopes. He has a unique
ability and is an outstanding narrator.
The production team needed an
expert to guide the overall process
to ensure quality control. The
Foundation contracted Andrew
Manske, a cinematographer, editor and
director who has more than ten years
experience in the television industry.
Andrew and Brian Bildson, Executive
Director for the Willmore Wilderness
Foundation guided the production team
as they edited the first documentary,
Long Road Home.
It was the team’s first time
working together and it didn’t take
long for the synergy to develop. Long
Road Home was the end result. It is
a HD documentary that focuses on
the history of the formation of Jasper
National park. The story features
a fourteen-day return trip of the
descendants of six families who were
evicted from the Park in 1909. The
forty-five minute production featured
a Centennial Commemorative
Journey in 2009—the long road home
after one hundred years. Stories were
shared through the voices of the
descendants as they revealed their
fight to preserve traditions, culture
and a way of life as Mountain Métis.
Producer/Director Susan
Feddema-Leonard decided that she
wanted to get a second opinion on
the technical and artistic quality of
Long Road Home. She wanted to
know if it would stand up to the
Continued on Page 13
Page 12
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Page 13
M occasin Telegraph
technical challenges of HD television.
She decided to email one of her
instructors, Michael Brown, who has
received over forty international film
festival and industry awards, including
three Emmys from five nominations.
She hoped for some honest feedback.
Michael is a busy man and Susan
was very pleased when he emailed
back a response. Hel stated, “I think
your film is really interesting and does a
great job of telling a story from the inside.
The cinematography, sound and technical
aspects are impressive.” Michael went
on to give her some ideas on how her
team could make productions for a
wider audience. He provided some tips
and tricks to make future films stronger.
Susan was elated with his comments.
People & Peaks Productions will be
provided to the educational system, so
that local youth can learn more about
local history, culture and traditions.
by Susan Feddema-Leonard, continued from Page 11
The documentaries will also be
marketed to television, both nationally
and internationally.
There is some anticipation that
People & Peaks Productions has a strong
potential to have huge spin-off effects
for the entire economic region. The
Foundation’s film production company
is in the beginning phases of building
regional partnerships to promote the
eastern slopes of Alberta through
international tourism initiatives.
Many people do not know
that Willmore Wilderness Park is
Improvement District #25. The
Willmore Wilderness Foundation is
the steward of Willmore Wilderness
Park and is actively maintaining its
infrastructure, as well as marketing
and promoting the Rocky Mountain
playground. The Foundation intends
to be sitting at the table with
other Improvement Districts and
I had a great time talking about the
good old days with Red, and as I had
recently returned from New Zealand, we
had something else in common to talk
about. I had taken red deer, fallow deer
and chamois. Red had made a trip to New
Zealand in the late 1940s with Colonel
Howard. The colonel had hunted in New
Zealand on different occasions and was
very impressed with the numbers of
game animals there. He had talked with
government officials there about starting
a hunting and outfitting service for visiting
non-resident hunters. He had made a trip
with Red to New Zealand for this purpose,
but Red decided against starting a business
there. As Red put it, there was too much
damn government red tape, bureaucracy
and money problems controlled by the
New Zealand Government.
Municipalities in the near future,
promoting Alberta’s best-kept
secret—Willmore Wilderness Park.
People & Peaks Productions will detail
the majesty and beauty of Alberta’s
Rockies, along with the historic values,
culture and traditions.
The Transition to Traditions
initiative is breathing a new life
force into the mountain community
and business sector, so that there
is a new generation of activity. We
thank the Government of Alberta’s
Rural Community Adaptation Grant
Program, Alberta Agriculture and
Rural Development, and to MLA
Robin Campbell for their vision and
belief in this exciting and unique
project.
For more information go to
http://www.PeopleandPeaks.com or
http://www.WillmoreWilderness.com.
by Jim Babala - continued from Page 9
At the time I visited him, Red was
eighty-two years old and his mind was
very keen and active. His memory could
not have been better, even as a young
man. His health was failing. He had a
severe calcium deficiency and was just
recovering from a broken arm. His bones
were so fragile that as he went to throw
out an old portable TV set, his arm bone
snapped.
As Red told me, “Jim, it’s hell to
get old when your mind wants to do
something but your body can’t.”
I have seen many old people who have
had a hard time remembering things, but
who were fine physically. Red’s case was
the opposite. His mind was sharp as a
tack, but his body was worn out. While
we were visiting, Red commented that
this would be his last winter as he didn’t
expect to be around for another one.
I looked at Red and said, “Hell, Red,
you’ll be here next fall and we’ll cook up a
feed of halibut and salmon. You take care,
and I’ll see you then.”
Red invited me to spend the night
with him, but I had promised friends in
Edson I would join them on a deer hunt,
as I still was hunting for a trophy mule
deer. I left, telling Red I would see him the
next October.
Red said, “I hope so, but don’t bet on it,
Jim, as there’s not much left in this old hide.”
I thought of this as I drove to Edson.
Red contracted pneumonia and died in the
Hinton Hospital early March—another
of Alberta’s great guides, outfitters, and
outdoorsmen gone.
Page 14
Grizzly Findings
2010 Grizzly Bear Survey Report Synopsis
by Bazil Leonard and Jenn Houlihan
Foundation started the Grizzly Bear
Survey to help achieve an accurate
population census in Alberta. This
is the third year that the Foundation
has been running the survey. It
is sponsored by the Alberta Fish
and Game Association (AFGA).
Wild Sheep Foundation: Alberta
Chapter (WSF), and the Willmore
Wilderness Foundation. Because
of the partnership, we were able
to advertise full-page and full-color
ads in every issue of Alberta Bow
Hunter’s Association (ABA), Alberta
Trapper’s Association (ATA), and the
Alberta Fish and Game Association
(AFGA). We were able to advertise
half-page full-color ads in Alberta
Outdoorsmen Magazine. Our
advertising campaign has proven to be
positive, as we have had many more
grizzly bear sightings this year.
Three years ago some of the
scientists were reporting as few as
thirty bears north of Highway 16. Our
staff couldn’t believe this unbelievably
low count and wondered what planet
the scientists were from. In the
Grande Cache area, grizzlies were
live-trapped in the school yard at
Susa Creek. They were also reported
to Fish and Wildlife as being on the
Muskeg Co-op, Joachim Enterprises
Co-op, and many other local locations.
The bears were becoming more
brazen and were coming into many
of the local outfitter camps. The
Foundation decided to “take the bull
by the horns” and conduct a survey.
Jenn Houlihan has spent the
entire year working on the Grizzly
Bear Survey. She works closely with
Nate Webb, the Provincial Carnivore
Specialist with Alberta Sustainable
Resources Development (ASRD).
All of Jenn’s data is sent to Nate
Webb and placed into the Provincial
Database. In an e-mail to Jenn
Houlihan dated August 3, 2010, Nate
stated “Ultimately, we’ll need to put
the Willmore Foundation grizzly bear
sightings into this format in order to
load it into our system, which then
makes the info readily available to all
ASRD staff in the entire province. We
can do this here in Edmonton, or if
you have the time, I can explain to you
how you can load your data directly
into these files, or transfer it from your
database into this one.” Jenn is really
excited about working with Nate, and
the public will be getting a much more
comprehensive grizzly bear census.
The following represents some of
the key points that Jenn gathered in
the 2010 Grizzly Bear Survey.
The survey to date has calculated
five hundred and seventy-five sightings
from February to November. We
expect one hundred or so more
sightings by the end of the reporting
period (Dec 31). The reason we do not
have all the sightings in from everyone
is because most of the outfitters and
guides are hunting until the end of
November. They usually phone or
e-mail their reports in December.
The number of grizzly sightings
has doubled compared to last year’s
survey. So far eighteen sows have been
spotted with triplets, equalling fiftyfour cubs. Thirty-five sows have also
been observed with twins, equalling
seventy cubs. This data does not
include sows with one cub. Momma
grizzlies appear to be doing fine.
We have collected a large image
database, which can differentiate
between bears that have been
spotted in the same area. Jenn will
be putting together a PowerPoint of
all of the 2010 images, which will be
shown at our conventions. We will
be giving copies of the PowerPoint
CDs to AFGA and WSF to show our
appreciation for their sponsorship.
It is interesting to note that bears
have been reported as far south as
the Montana Border and spotted
as far west as the Alberta-British
Columbia Border. They have been
seen as far north as High Level and
as far east as the Whitecourt area.
One interesting set of images we
have shows grizzly bears walking right
through the town of Cranbrook, B.C.
One news report detailed how a bear
walked right through Canmore, AB—
in broad day light.
In October there was a report
of a bear disturbing cows in the
Dovercourt area north of Caroline. A
bear claimed a dead cow as his own.
The bear had been seen in that area
almost every night. One other bear
killed two miniature breeding donkeys
on a woman’s property just west of
Grande Prairie in May. Officers told
her that the bear had been trapped
and moved out of Alberta into
northern B.C. last year after killing
another miniature donkey near Sundre.
Grizzlies decided to sample some pigs
north of Cochrane in the fall of 2009. I
guess they had quite a feed.
There have been reports of grizzly
bears charging people in the Sheep
Creek area near Mountain Aire
Page 15
This buffalo was spotted in
April at 7:00am
in Yellowstone National Park..
The photographer described the
sound of a “horse and carriage” The
buffalo was apparently scalded by a
geyser at Yellowstone.
The grizzly was chasing the buffalo
and was quickly gaining on him.
We have a newspaper article and link
with many other images that
accompany this story.
For more information email
Jenn Houlihan at
grizzly@willmorewilderness.com
Lodge, Willmore Wilderness Park,
Edson, and Lethbridge areas. A man
was attacked on the Berland Road
north of Hinton in June. Luckily his
dog distracted the bear long enough
so that he could get away with only a
bite mark in his boot and a fairly small
puncture wound in his foot. We have
the official report that was issued by
West Fraser Hinton Wood Products
on this incident. In October at Kvass Flats in
the Willmore Wilderness Park, an
experienced guide/hunter came across
a bear that was moving an elk carcass.
The bear acted very aggressive towards
the man. A week later two hunters
were on the flats and they came across
what they believed to be a bear’s cache.
There were skulls and carcasses where
the grizzly had buried them in a pit
about six feet in diameter.
Near Hinton there was a report of
a man hunting deer in his tree stand.
A grizzly bear came sniffing around
and caught his scent. The bear took
off. About an hour later the man went
to have his lunch and a bathroom
break. Well instead of climbing down
the tree stand he just went off the
side of the tree stand—which was
probably a smart choice on his part.
He looked down and saw this big bear
standing below him with its nose at
his feet. He quickly started to stomp
on his tree stand and yell. The bear
dropped down and ran out of sight.
The man quickly got off the stand and
started walking to his truck about an
hour away. He claimed this to be the
longest hour of his life.
The survey indicates that there
has been an increase of bears showing
little fear of humans. It is evident that
the bear population is steadily growing.
Bears are adapting to new habitat and
prey—donkeys, cows, and pigs and are
getting more aggressive towards humans.
More people are participating and
are aware of the Willmore Wilderness
Grizzly Bear Survey, but we believe that
there are many more grizzly sightings
that have not been reported to us.
In conclusion, we live in a land
where there are both predators and
prey. Our ancestors were smart
enough to maintain their role as
the top predator, but with lack of
management, the grizzly has lost
his fear of man and is increasingly
becoming the dominant predator.
We would like to thank AFGA
and Wild Sheep Foundation: Alberta
Chapter for their ongoing support. The
2011 Grizzly Bear Survey promises to
be better yet—with the support of the
public and their sightings.
We live in a land
where there are
both predators and
prey. Our ancestors
were smart enough
to maintain their role
as the top predator,
but with lack of
management, the
grizzly has lost his
fear of man and is
increasingly becoming
the dominant predator.
Page 16
Motion 507 – Willmore Wilderness Park - April 12, 2010
5:07 Mr. Campbell moved:
Be it resolved that the Legislative Assembly urge the government to not bring forward changes
to the Willmore Wilderness Park
Act which would restrict traditional
land uses such as outfitting, trapping,
hunting, and fishing.
The Willmore
Wilderness Act
and Motion 507
ensures that future
generations
will be able to use
Willmore Wilderness Park,
just like the mountain men
of yesteryear.
Thank you Robin Campbell
Photo by:
Susan Feddema-Leonard.
Mr. Campbell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It’s my pleasure today to talk about Motion
507. The Willmore wilderness area is in my
riding just north of Grande Cache, and it
encompasses over 4,600 square kilometers
of land. The purpose of this motion is to
ensure that the government of Alberta
continues to recognize as is the Willmore
Wilderness Park Act. This act promotes
the management and conservation of
resources within the Willmore wilderness
park and provides the legislative assurance
of traditional activities like outfitting,
trapping, hunting, and fishing. Activities
like hunting and fishing are key elements
of conservation, and it is those who
participate in these activities who are the
conservationists. By continuing to support
their activities, as Motion 507 urges, the
Willmore wilderness park will continue to
be preserved for future generations.
Mr. Speaker, I think it’s important
to note that Grande Cache became the
home for a number of aboriginal families
in 1905 and 1906 after they were asked to
leave Jasper national park, and today, you
know, a hundred years later, many of the
descendants of these families continue to
hunt, fish, and outfit in the Willmore.
The Willmore is still a pristine
wilderness area but does have some pressures. The mountain pine beetle has the
capability of destroying the old-growth
forests that line the river valleys within
the 4,600 square kilometers.
Mr. Speaker, this is an area that is
for the most part self-governed. Of course,
SRD patrols through fish and wildlife officers and parks has their officers patrolling,
but it’s the people who use the landscape
on a regular basis that understand its true
value and keep its integrity intact. It is
these people that clean the trails and look
to see that those using the area do so in
a responsible manner and at times help
those who are not experienced and get
themselves in trouble.
This is a true wilderness area
fraught with dangers for those not
properly equipped or experienced in
outdoor activities. In my own experience
of over 25 years of guiding, I could spend
the whole afternoon talking about people
who’ve had to be rescued or supported
because they were not outfitted properly
or were outside of their capabilities.
The Willmore is one of those areas, Mr.
Speaker, that can provide that.
This area is also located on the
Continental Divide. The divide provides
many streams and rivers that supply
water to the Peace and Athabasca rivers.
Other rivers within the park are the
Sheep, Jackpine, Smoky, Berland, Sulphur,
Muskeg, and Wildhay. In many of these
rivers and streams within the park are
Rocky Mountain whitefish, rainbow trout,
and bull trout.
Mr. Speaker, this park was
created in 1959, when local residents
were concerned about the amount of
roads that the oil and gas sectors were
developing through the region. Norman
Willmore, who at the time was the MLA
for Edson, lobbied for and eventually
had the area declared a wilderness park
where trapping and fishing would be
permitted; however, all motor vehicles
were restricted from the area. The only
permitted transportation is by foot,
horse, or bicycle. These regulations were
reflected in the Willmore act.
Mr. Speaker, the current
situation we face is that Alberta
Tourism, Parks and Recreation along
with Parks Canada and B.C. Parks have
been considering a new nomination for
UNESCO world heritage status of the
Canadian Rocky Mountain parks, which
could include the Willmore wilderness
park along with other protected areas
that are adjacent to the current UNESCO
designation. I quote from the Alberta
Tourism, Parks and Recreation website.
Alberta Parks is in early discussions with
Parks Canada and B.C. Parks on the
possibility of expanding the current Canadian
Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site.
Should the expansion have clear benefits, the
Page 17
project committee will consult with the public,
affected stakeholders, communities, First
Nations and Métis, and government departments in both provinces before proceeding
with submission of a re-nomination package
to UNESCO.
Parks Canada states:
Four other contiguous protected areas on the
Alberta side would also merit consideration
in a re-nomination of this site [the Canadian
Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site].
These include the Ghost River and White
Goat Wilderness’s (IUCN category I), Peter
Lougheed Provincial Park, and the Willmore
Wilderness Park. All of these offer high quality habitat, equivalent and complementary in
value to the existing World Heritage site. The
inclusion of these six additional contiguous
provincial protected areas would result in
a 13-park World Heritage complex and an
approximate 25% size increase [in area].
Mr. Speaker, I think it’s important to
understand what the Willmore Wilderness Park Act says.
In this Act,
(a) “land” means land of the Crown in
right of Alberta;
(b) “Park” means the Willmore Wilderness
Park established by this Act.
Under part 3 of the act, Use of Park, it states:
The Park is dedicated to the use of the
people of Alberta for their benefit, education
and enjoyment, subject to this Act and the
regulations, and shall, by the management,
conservation and protection of its natural
resources and by the preservation of its natural
beauty, be maintained for the enjoyment of
future generations.
Also, part 4 of the act says under
industrial activities:
No person may conduct any industrial
activities, including, but not limited to, mining,
geological and geophysical explorations, water
management, hydro-electric power and pulp
and paper mills, saw mills and other forestry
related industries, within the Park.
I think that the park and the act
as it stands now will serve the province
of Alberta well. I know that in my riding
there has been unanimous consent by the
people in the Grande Cache area to leave
the Willmore as it is. I’ve also attended a
number of functions, Mr. Speaker, across
Alberta put on by the Willmore wilderness foundation, where people have
continued to say: “Leave the park the way
it is. Let us be stewards of that land. We
use it, we know what we’re doing, and we
have to look after it as it should be.”
Mr. Speaker, I think that when
you look at the UNESCO sites, there are
a number of things that I have concerns
over. One is the protection and management. Protection and management of
world heritage property should ensure
that the outstanding universal value
and the conditions of integrity and/or
authenticity at the time of inscription are
maintained or enhanced in the future. All
properties inscribed on the world heritage list must have adequate long-term
legislative, regulatory, institutional, and/or
traditional protection and management to
ensure their safeguarding. This protection
should also include adequately delineated
boundaries. Similarly, state parties should
demonstrate adequate protection at
the national, regional, municipal, and/
or traditional level for the nominated
property.
Mr. Speaker, you know, I’ve spent
some time dealing with UNESCO sites,
being that I live in and represent West
Yellowhead. I also live in Jasper national
park, which is a world heritage site. I can
talk to you about when we were involved
in the Cheviot mine and trying to get that
mine going south of Hinton, which was an
expansion of the Cardinal River coal mine.
I can remember the letter I got from the
UNESCO world heritage people saying
that the Cardinal River mine should not go
ahead because of its proximity to a world
heritage site. That mine is in production
today, employs over 300 people, and is
one of the main economies of the town
of Hinton. It is also a wildlife sanctuary.
There are grizzly bears, there are elk,
there are deer, there are moose, there are
wolves, and there are cougars all within
that mine site. Sheep: actually, people pay
up to $250,000 for the minister’s permit
to shoot bighorn sheep, which come off
that property of Cardinal River.
The other thing that concerns
me, Mr. Speaker, with UNESCO’s
designation is buffer zones. Wherever
necessary for the proper conservation
of the property an adequate buffer zone
should be provided. For the purpose
of the effective protection of the
nominated property a buffer zone is an
area surrounding the nominated property
which has complementary legal and/or
customary restrictions placed on its use
and development to give an added layer
of protection to the property.
Mr. Speaker, when you look at the size
of the Willmore wilderness area, it’s
4,600 square kilometers. When you get
outside of the Willmore area, especially
to the east and the south, you’re into
Grande Cache and the eastern foothills
of the Rockies. One of the important
economic developments that is happening across this country now is shale
gas. Shale gas deposits are prominent
within the Grande Cache and area south
towards Hinton, and I can tell you that
companies like EnCana, Talisman, CNRL
are all working towards developing those
areas. Those areas are also a major
economic boom to this province. As we
see conventional gas prices start to decline
and we see oil prices up and down, we need
the shale gas. Also, we have coal mines and
coal mine deposits all along the eastern
slopes of the Rockies.
5:10
If you look at a buffer zone, Mr.
Speaker, what would be considered adequate?
Is it one mile? Is it five miles? Is it 10 miles?
Is it 20 miles? In the Grande Cache area the
town of Grande Cache butts right up against
Willmore Wilderness Park. You have Foothills
Forest Products that, if they were within
the buffer zone, would go under. That’s 265
people unemployed in the town of Grande
Cache. You’ve got Grande Cache Coal, which
butts up right next to Willmore wilderness
area. That would be over 500 people out of
work in Grande Cache. You have ConocoPhillips, EnCana, CNRL, Talisman, you know, that
employ hundreds of people in the Grande
Cache area.
Page 18
TALES AND TR AILS IN THE WILDERNESS – by Ethel Miller
Chapter Seven: The Caribou Hunt
All of a sudden,
Charlie pulled Casey to
a halt and motioned to
me to look towards the
north. He could see a
caribou coming in our
direction, but it was
quite a distance away.
We had never hunted
for caribou before and
were not too sure how
alert they were, but the
wind was in the north
so was in our favour.
Photo by Susan Feddema-Leonard.
In the late 1960s, we decided we
would try to get a caribou on one
of our fall hunting trips. During the
summers when we had been out in
Willmore Wilderness Park, we had
often seen caribou in the areas we
traveled. At that time we only had
three horses. We planned on being out
for a week in early September, so we
borrowed Carl’s four pack horses and
rigging. That gave us five pack horses
and lots of space to pack a good supply
of food, a stove and tent. At that time
we did not have our sail silk tent, but
Carl had a huge 12’ x 12’ silk pyramid
tent that he told us to take, along
with a stove. The weather was really
warm, and the leaves were all changing
colour—just a beautiful fall. Charlie got
a caribou license along with the usual
elk and moose. I just got a deer license
and didn’t bother getting a caribou
one, as we doubted that we would be
lucky enough to come across a herd.
A couple years earlier, I had taken a
Hunter Trainer’s course and carried
a thirty-thirty in the scabbard on my
horse. Charlie always carried a bigger
gun, a model 95 Winchester 30 US
caliber in his scabbard.
Carl helped us haul the horses
out to Rock Lake on August 31st and
spent the evening with us around the
camp fire relating many tales of his
trips out in the bush. He had brought
along his sleeping bag and decided to
stay the night so he could help Charlie
pack up the horses in the morning
and get us away in good time. It was
a warm evening, so we didn’t pitch
a tent. Charlie and Carl just slept in
their sleeping bags on the ground, but
I chose to sleep in my sleeping bag in
one of the trucks.
At the beginning of September,
daylight didn’t arrive too early, but
Charlie and Carl were up early getting
the horses fed, saddled and packed up
for our trip. We planned to put in a
pretty good day’s travel and were on
the trail in good time that morning.
The four pack horses traveled well
together and had been down that road
many times. Our pack horse Joe got
put into his place every time he tried
to change his spot in the string of pack
horses. I brought up the rear and had
to keep an eye on the horses to make
sure no ropes came undone or that
any packs slipped. But this day, even
though the day was hot— probably
twenty degrees—we made good time
and got to the head of the Hay (River)
Campground where we set up camp.
It was just a perfect day, warm but no
flies around, and a mild breeze was
blowing. The meadow out from the
campground was knee-deep with grass.
From the camp you could look
out and see where the horses were,
but with the grass so good and water
nearby, they didn’t wander. They were
all hobbled or on picket ropes, so
we had a relaxing time once we had
the tent and stove up. We gathered
a good pile of wood but doubted
that we would need to use much of
it, seeing it was so mild. I took a few
pictures around the campsite and out
towards the mountains where there
was not a cloud in the sky.
During the night I woke up. It
was very quiet and felt quite chilly
in the tent, but after a few minutes,
I just sank farther into my sleeping
bag and drifted off to sleep. What a
surprise in the morning—the ground
was covered with snow! Clouds were
hanging low on the mountains west
Page 19
of us and everything was wet outside.
What a difference from yesterday. We
were glad we had put a pile of wood
inside the tent and had the stove set
up. It was not snowing anymore but
was very overcast, and there was
quite a drop in the temperature.
After we had breakfast, we
checked on the horses. They were all
okay and eating away, but the picket
ropes and hobbles were wet and dirty.
We decided to take Charlie’s horse
Casey and my horse Sandy and go out
towards the mountains to see if we
could see any game. We left the pack
horses hobbled in the meadow and
headed out.
We went up towards Persimmon
Creek but had not been on the trail very
long before it started to snow again,
and the clouds socked in around the
mountain tops. It was difficult at times
to see just where we were heading.
All of a sudden, Charlie pulled
Casey to a halt and motioned to me
to look towards the north. He could
see a caribou coming in our direction,
but it was quite a distance away. We
had never hunted for caribou before
and were not too sure how alert they
were, but the wind was in the north
so was in our favour.
We both got off our horses.
Charlie grabbed his gun out of the
scabbard and told me to hang onto
Casey and get back out of sight with
the horses. He would try to keep out
of sight but get closer to the caribou.
So I took the horses and got back
behind some scrub and rocks. Sandy
was always alert to things going on
around him, and all of a sudden he
let out a big whinny as he spotted
the caribou. I gave his head a jerk and
tried to keep him quiet as I was sure
he would have spooked the caribou.
By this time I was not sure where
Charlie was or how close he had
got to the animal. But nothing doing,
Sandy gave another whinny, and to
my surprise, I could see the caribou
coming towards us. It was snowing
pretty hard by then. The caribou was
half trotting, and every now and then,
he would grab a mouthful of grass as
he approached.
About this time though, Charlie
had him in his gun sight and let fire.
The caribou dropped to the ground.
There were a couple more coming
behind him, and they seemed to be
curious and still kept coming closer to
see what was happening. Because I
didn’t have a license, I was not able to
bag one. I still had the horses in tow,
and they seemed to be more afraid of
the gunshot than the caribou were.
I tied up the horses and helped
Charlie as he skinned, gutted and
cleaned up the animal. It was getting
bitterly cold on the bare hands. As we
worked on the animal, I was thinking
more about the cold than how I was
using the knife, and the first thing I
knew, I had taken a slice off my finger.
It bled for a while, but shortly after
I was not sure if it was my blood or
from the caribou, as my hands were
covered with warm blood! Caribou are
pretty small animals, but the meat has
to be the best tasting wild meat there
is—at least in my opinion. There has
not been a season on them for quite
a few years now, but if they are all as
curious as those were, it’s no wonder
that they were fast disappearing.
Once we got it dressed out, we
decided to leave it there and get a
pack horse to bring it back into camp.
We picked up one of the pack horses,
Charlie pack-saddled him and once
again headed out to where the animal
was. Shortly before we got in sight
of the kill, Charlie got off his horse
and loaded his gun. We approached
cautiously just in case a bear had
come across the carcass while we
were away. It was still snowing hard
and no tracks were visible. Much to
my relief, there was no bear there,
and everything was the same as we
had left it. The pack horse never
flinched as the animal was loaded on
his back, but my horse didn’t care for
the smell of blood. He did a bunch of
snorting when I first tried to mount
him because I still had blood on my
hands from loading the meat.
Once we got back to camp, we
unsaddled the horses and put them
out in the meadow to graze before
starting to cook supper. Darkness
came early that time of the year, and
with the snow still falling, it was darker
even earlier. We always took along
some reading material on our trips, but
because we just had a candle to read
by, we didn’t read too long at nights.
We stayed at the camp another
day and rode out again the next day,
but didn’t see a sign of any animals. So
the following day, we packed up and
came back in with our caribou meat.
It was considered a successful hunt.
The final part of a story by
Ethel Miller (deceased) printed by
permission of her husband, Charlie Miller
(since deceased in 2007)
Page 20
Willmore Wanderings - Lucky 13
By Mark Engstrom
October, 2010. I shifted on my
seat as a rock dug into my backside. I
had been sitting in the same spot near
the top of a mountain for the last
two hours, with a Swarovski spotting
scope on a tripod in front of me. It
was aimed at a bighorn ram who lay
below me 240 yards away, down a
steep mountainside. He had his back
to me, facing to my left and looking
down over the valley. There were
other sheep with him, a few rams, and
some ewes who had recently fed over
into the rams, mysteriously appearing
out of no where a half hour before. I
had watched these rams from this
spot, and from another spot around
the bend in the mountain earlier in
the day for another two hours. None
of the sheep had seen me during the
four hour wait. Suddenly he got up
from his bed, turned and started
feeding from my left to right, showing
me the right side of his head through
the spotter. I quickly determined
his right horn passed for the
required 4/5th curl, and a couple
minutes later a single shot from
my 270wsm dropped him on the
spot. He slowly rolled over once,
then twice, then picking up speed
he rolled down the steep draw he
was in, kicking up rocks and dust
as he went. Finally he disappeared
around a corner behind some
poplar and fir trees growing low on
the mountain. Years of searching
for “the” ram were over!
I began bighorn sheep hunting
thirteen years ago. Most years I have
hunted them for at least two weeks,
and often much longer. I’ve covered
much of the Willmore Wilderness in
search of the elusive bighorn, searching
for old rams in hidden drainages that
have never been hunted. Over those
thirteen years I have been successful in
taking several non trophy sheep (ewes),
but never brought home a ram.
I did shoot one though. My first
year of sheep hunting, thirteen long
years ago. I had a full curl, heavily
broomed old ram lined up. He and
three smaller rams stood facing me at
one hundred yards. It was very windy,
but I felt good when I pulled the
trigger with my crosshairs on the old
giants chest. I saw a ram drop on the
spot. The joy of killing my first ram
soon turned to horror though. As I
walked up, instead of the giant, one of
the smaller rams lay dead. He wasn’t
even a legal ram as he fell just short
of the required 4/5th curl. I don’t
know what happened. This ram had
been hit in the horn, from the side,
and the bullet deflected downward
into his head, with no exit, killing him
instantly. Windy, yes. Buck (or ram)
fever, probably. Bad shot, for sure. No
matter, I was now in trouble. I’ll admit
a few options went through my head
as I sat by the short sheep. Not all of
them were of the noble variety. But
I knew deep down what I was going
to do, and that’s how I ended up at
the local Fish and Wildlife office with
the illegal ram. I received a fine, and
forfeited my trophy sheep tag. I was
lucky not to lose my hunting license.
This was a defining moment in my
sheep hunting career.
In the years that followed, I
became a sheep hunting addict. I
love the country they inhabit, and
the bighorn sheep itself is, to me,
the pinnacle of hunting in Alberta.
Every year I would prepare, plan and
look forward to that first trip of the
hunting season which is the bighorn
sheep opener in late August. I keep
Page 21
Mark Engstrom
on a Sheep Hunting Trip
in Willmore Wilderness Park
in October 2010
Photos courtesy of Mark Engstrom
a few horses, I think mainly so I can
use them for sheep hunting. I do ride
them lots through the spring and
summer in the Willmore Wilderness,
always watching for sheep, and in
particular rams.
Now, being as I had shot a short
sheep, I was very careful and picky
on what type of ram I would shoot.
I passed up a few legal ones, lamb
tipped rams that were just barely legal,
“squeakers” as they are called. There
was no way I was going to sweat it
out in the Fish and Wildlife office
again as an officer put the square on
a set of horns to see if it was legal
or not. I also missed a gorgeous full
curl ram, misjudging the distance
and shooting under him. I bought a
rangefinder right after that hunt. The
years passed, and I remained snake
bit. I had a run of three years where
I knew people drawn for mountain
goat including 2008 when I was lucky
enough to draw one of the rare tags,
and spent those three years chasing
goats instead of sheep.
Back to October 13th,2010.
Thirteen years after killing my first
sheep, I finally killed another, this
time legal, ram. That’s why I call him
Lucky 13. After he rolled out of sight,
I laid my spotting scope and rifle on
my backpack, leaving them there, and
headed down the mountain with only
my knife. I found the ram caught on
some downed timber just into the
trees growing low on the steep slope.
Using my trekking pole I confirmed he
was legal. Thirteen years of effort was
rewarded with this fine old warrior
of a ram, and I let out a big sigh of
relief. Ten and a half years old, he had
good mass, his horn tips broomed
back, legal on his right, a fine trophy.
Thankful to say the least, I respectfully
caped and quartered my quarry, taking
until well after dark. He will now hold
a place of honor among all my trophies.
I’d like to thank my friend Larry Clegg
for being there with me on this trip, I
enjoy being on the trail with you, they
don’t come much tougher than you. Larry
is always happy, with a smile and quick
wit, there’s nothing that will faze him. I
enjoy all the knowledge and stories that
he is always willing to offer. On this trip,
he endured what started out as a small
sore that looked like a tick bite or pimple
on his shin, and turned into a raging
infection. He stuck it out until the end,
even though it almost killed him. Thanks
also to my brother Toe, and Traci, who
rode out after I took this ram, to bring
horse shoes and shoeing tools that I was
in need of. Toe and I have been on many
sheep trips over the years, I wish he had
been there for this one. Next year is
your turn brother!
Thanks to the
Wild Sheep Foundation: Alberta Chapter
for supporting the 2010 Grizzly Bear Survey
Page 22
Jenn’s Journal - Twelve-Day Tr ail Clearing Expedition
by Jenn Houlihan
Jenn Houlihan, Administrative Assistant
photo by Susan Feddema-Leonard
…Was supposed to be twentyone but you know how mountain
weather can be ....
I had the pleasure of cooking
for an eight-man crew for twelve
days in one of the most beautiful
places that I have ever seen, the
Willmore Wilderness Park. Our
journey started at Victor Lake
on September 5, 2010. We rode
seven hours from Victor Lake to
our home of the next five days,
Big Grave Camp. For the first part
of the trip, we had the comfort
of the Sulphur River Patrol
Cabin—very comfortable, I must
say. On the first day, we arrived at
Big Grave shortly after nightfall.
I scrambled to get a fire made
so I could cook for the hungry
crew. Bazil quickly instructed the
boys to unpack and unsaddle our
horses. The horses were sent to
graze on the Big Grave Flats.
For the next several days,
I explored and enjoyed my
second trail-clearing expedition
with Sue and Bazil. I saw the
wonderful sculptures of the
mountains and valleys, and the
splendid paintings of the sunrises
and sunsets. The Willmore is
definitely a place that everyone
should see. I feel blessed to have
spent time there and am looking
forward to many more years. I
plan on traveling within the
boundaries of this magnificent
jewel for years to come.
We call our trail crews
Willmore Warriors. Our eight-man
crew consisted of Bazil Leonard,
outfitter; Susan FeddemaLeonard, cook/film maker/nurse;
Dan Hallock, main wrangler/trail
hand; Angeen Hallock, wrangler;
Banjo Hallock, chainsaw man;
Tyler Hallock, chainsaw man;
Eli Hallock, trail hand; and Jenn
Houlihan (myself), cook. We were
trailing with twenty-four horses
and one Daisy Dog.
I have a lot of good memories
of this trip but one stands out
the most. About four days into
our adventure, Bazil, Sue, Angeen
and I went to scout the trail from
Rocky Pass to Porcupine Lick. I
was riding my freshly-started wild
mare Mildred. I had no problems
riding or working with her. It was
a pretty rough ride for a young
horse considering we had to
plough through muskeg, beaver
dams, and thick over-grown trails.
Well, Murphy’s Law certainly
applied here. I decided not to
bring my rain gear, and it rained
cats and dogs! To make matters
worse, the rain turned to snow.
On the way back, we came
across a log that had fallen
across the trail. The other horses
jumped it. When it came our turn
to jump the log, I went flying
forward and landed on Mildred’s
neck. Bazil stopped in front of me
and let me use his saddle horse
to push myself back into the
saddle. Sue was shocked that I
didn’t fall off and said, “You got a
pretty good horse if you can land
on her neck without her freaking
out.” I would have to agree with
Page 23
Willmore Warriors
Trail Clearing Crew
September 2010
from left to right:
Danny Hallock
Bazil Leonard
Banjo Hallock
Eli Hallock
Tyler Hallock
Other Willmore Warriors include:
Angeen Hallock
Jenn Houlihan
Photo by Jenn Houlihan
Sue on that one. Mildred never
flinched, but instead let me get
back on and try again. I’m so
proud of that little wild mare,
which I had started earlier in the
year at a Willmore Wilderness
Foundation clinic.
This experience has taught
me that no matter how warm it
is and how blue the sky is, NEVER
forget your rain gear in camp.
You just may end up coming
back from your ride with a cup of
water in each boot.
I really enjoyed my stay at
Porcupine Lick. On the first
morning, we woke up to six
inches of fresh, sticky snow.
Angeen my tent mate and I
woke up after our tent was
flattened like a pancake because
of the snow. Our surroundings
were white—our camp was
white—everything was white.
You couldn’t walk out of the cook
tent for more than ten minutes
without becoming covered in
snow. It was nice to wake up to
Thank you
Alberta Fish & Game Association
for your support
with the 2010
Grizzly Bear Survey
such a perfect winter’s day.
This trip was a wonderful
experience that I will cherish
forever. Waking up to a Willmore
sunrise is something that I will
never forget. I encourage everyone
to experience the deep connection
with this pristine mountain
landscape. Willmore Wilderness
Park is something that should live
on—keep it wild and free.
Remember, if you fall off—get
up—dust off—get right back on!
Page 24
WILLMORE WILDERNESS PRESERVATION AND HISTORICAL FOUNDATION
BALANCE SHEET
AS AT DECEMBER 31, 2009
2009
$
2008
$
ASSETS
Current
Cash
Accounts Receivable
Prepaid Expense
Security Deposits
Capital Assets
Building
Equipment
Office Equipment
Camera, Video & Film Equipment
Computer
Furniture & Fixtures
Less: Accumulated Amortization
150,440.67
37,320.88
6,890.96
200.00
194,852.51
12,318.76
8,749.00
6,890.96
4,025.00
31,983.72
287,000.00
11,996.31
6,307.53
24,858.16
23,223.85
2,450.00
355,835.85
8,658.97
347,176.88
0.00
10,561.31
8,419.24
0.00
23,223.85
2,450.00
44,654.40
8,658.97
35,995.43
542,029.39
67979.15
LIABILITIES & EQUITY
Current Liabilities
Accounts Payable
Long Term Liabilities
ATB Mortgage Payable
Equity
Retained Earnings
9,006.86
6,100.77
148,583.44
0.00
157,590.30
6,100.77
384,439.09
61,878.38
542,029.39
67,979.15
Edson Shindig (DANCE)
featuring Laura Vinson & dance the night away with the TRUCKS
Saturday, Feb 5, 2011
Royal Canadian Legion: Joe Wynn
Live and silent auction
Banquet buffet - $50.00 tickets
Doors open at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m.
Grande Cache Gala
March 5, 2011
Mountain Métis Hall
Live and Silent Auction
Roast Beef Buffet - $35.00 tickets.
Doors open at 6 p.m. & dinner at 7 p.m.
Page 25
WILLMORE WILDERNESS PRESERVATION AND HISTORICAL FOUNDATION
STATEMENT OF EARNINGS
FOR THE YEAR ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2009
2009
$
REVENUE
General Sales
Grants
Memberships
Book Sales
Donations
Fundraising Proceeds
Rental Income
Interest
OPERATING EXPENSES
Accounting & Consulting
Advertising & Promotion
Donations
Fundraising Costs
Bank/Credit Card Charges & Fees
Insurance
License, Fees & Permits
Loan/Mortgage Interest
Supplies
Equipment & Trail Costs
Conventions, Banquets & Meetings
Training & Clinics
Office
Utilities
Property Taxes
Book & Film Production Costs
Telephone & Fax
Rent
Maintenance & Repairs
Travel
Wages & Benefits
Sub-Contracts
EARNINGS (LOSS) FROM OPERATIONS
2008
$
977.07
541,050.00
1,530.00
11,726.84
35,150.00
107,671.41
1,200.00
64.77
699,370.09
1,430.85
31,220.82
9,028.50
39,015.38
15,268.00
157,302.91
0.00
24.81
253,291.27
16,152.91
9,547.59
6,883.72
73,382.93
2,834.42
2,154.00
2,405.13
1,583.97
9,154.15
191.61
494.24
4,482.40
16,567.89
3,973.60
6,519.22
33,202.58
3,549.77
6,287.50
22,184.82
12,716.94
38,647.49
103,892.50
376,809.38
1,200.00
4,039.47
1,947.00
103,161.78
2,910.24
650.00
555.00
0.00
11,000.48
1,370.08
2,731.09
5,669.96
13,432.01
2,556.94
4,256.03
0.00
2,975.19
28,700.00
2,646.13
8,365.44
40,257.11
42,890.00
281,313.95
322,560.71
-28,022.68
Grande Prairie Roundup &
People & Peaks Film Fest
Saturday April 9, 2011
Five Mile Agricultural Society Community Hall - Grande Prairie, AB
Live and Silent Auction - $50.00 tickets.
Doors open at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m.
Schedule for the People & Peaks Film Fest TBA
Audited May 18, 2010
Y L Services
Accountant - Yvonne Lambert
Page 26
... continued from page 17
Mr. Campbell moved:
Be it resolved that the
Legislative Assembly
urge the government
to not bring forward
changes to the
Willmore Wilderness
Park Act
which would restrict
traditional land uses
such as outfitting,
trapping, hunting,
and fishing.
The only thing that wouldn’t be
affected – and I don’t know if that’s true
or not – would be the jail. We have a
federal institution in Grande Cache that
employs about 300 people. That would
be the only economic employment in
this community. Also, it would affect,
you know, right down along the eastern
slopes.
Mr. Speaker, while I’m talking
about the Willmore wilderness park, I’d
be remiss to also not talk about Y2Y,
which is Yellowstone to Yukon. These areas also employ the eastern slopes. This
is something that we as a government and
all our colleagues in government should
be aware of. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Deputy Speaker: The hon.
Member for Calgary-Varsity.
Mr. Chase: Thank you very much. I
want to applaud and support the hon.
Member for West Yellowhead for bringing forth this legislation. I will be voting
in favour of it, but I do have reservations
that I want to get on the record. First
off, if we had the accomplishment of our
land-use framework, for which I want to
offer a bouquet to our current finance
minister, the MLA for Foothills-Rocky
View, for getting the discussion going – if
we actually had a land-use framework
bill in place with all its regulations, then
this Willmore wilderness park, that’s the
subject of Motion 507, would be dealt
with under designated land use.
At the same time I’d like to offer
a challenge to the Minister of Sustainable
Resource Development, the MLA for
Grande Prairie-Smoky, to follow up the
work that was begun by the hon. Member
for Foothills-Rocky View but has yet
to be completed. With the sustainable
resources network based on six watershed regions being the basis for land use,
I think a lot of the conflicts between land
usage will be dealt with.
I’m hoping that at some point
this government moves from the concept
of multi-use to priority use. You know,
without going Roger Miller on you, there
are certain activities, roller skating in
a buffalo herd being one of them, that
you cannot do simultaneously in the
same area. Right now in Alberta we have
over 350 parks and protected areas, yet
only 40 of these have management plans.
So for the Willmore wilderness park
to be protected, the enforcement has
to be there as well to ensure that the
traditional usages, as the hon. member
has pointed out, since the early 1900s are
maintained and protected. What we do
need is oversight through a management
plan, and we need the enforcement
through combination and cross ministerial
co-operation between the ministries
of Sustainable Resource Development
and Tourism, Parks and Recreation, and
we need also, obviously, co-operation
through the Ministry of Environment to
ensure that the pristine and natural nature
of this area is preserved.
Now, the hon. Member for West
Yellowhead pointed out what the act states.
I would like to add to it. The Willmore
Wilderness Park Act also permits the
Lieutenant Governor in Council to make
regulations increasing or decreasing the
size of the park. I hope there is never
a thought of decreasing the size of the
park. Most importantly for myself and
the members of my caucus, it prohibits
industrial activity in the park, including but
not limited to mining, geological and geophysical exploration, water management,
hydroelectric power, pulp and paper mills,
sawmills, and other forest-related activities.
In other words, it keeps it at its historical
purpose, which was the conservation and
protection of its natural resources.
The point of this act is to allow
First Nations and Métis and, to a degree,
guiding outfitters to continue to practise
their historically approved activities
within the park. I understand, but I will
come from the other side of the debate,
about making it a world-protected site,
because I believe that with the proper
enforcement, that would potentially add
extra security to the area because there
would be a global standard in terms
of the protection of this wilderness
area. I do want to raise, however, some
concerns that were brought to us by the
Alberta Wilderness Association concerning Willmore Wilderness Park because
I want to have them on the record.
Hopefully, this motion will address these
Page 27
concerns. Willmore wilderness concerns:
• A management plan that addresses key
concerns for the Willmore, including wildlife,
watersheds, wilderness protection, fire
programs, trail system maintenance and
recreation is urgently needed.
As I stated before, we have over
350 parks and protected areas and very few
management plans to guarantee that they
are kept in a maintained manner. I know
you can love a park to death, but in this
case the park, to some degree, has not
been managed and enforced to the extent
that I believe it deserves.
Another concern that the Alberta
Wilderness Association brings forward:
• Pressures for inappropriate resource
development such as commercial recreational
use. Recreational developments including a
downhill ski operation, golf course and alpine
village, as well as new roadways for off-road
vehicles have been proposed in and near
Willmore Wilderness Park.
Now, the hon. member talked
about a buffer zone, and hopefully that
will be part of this motion because it’s
absolutely essential that we don’t have
overlap and cross-purposing within this
natural site.
The Alberta Wilderness
Association also has concerns over
• commercial sales and inappropriate
development of registered traplines that
include increased and out-of-season use of
ORV’s and the growth in size and numbers of
associated cabins.
• Non-commercial recreational use [is a
concern]. Trails must be maintained for the
safety of park users and to limit their impact
on the park. The rules of the area, including
a prohibition on off-highway-vehicle use must
be enforced.
In other words, we’ve got this
pristine jewel; let’s maintain it in its
pristine, natural state.
• Pressure to remove boating prohibitions for
the section of the Smoky River in the park.
As I stated to begin with,
• lack of official stewardship is allowing trails
to become eroded in some areas and unsafe
in others due to lack of maintenance.
I’ve seen that in my own personal
experience working in Cataract Creek.
The danger of not maintaining pathways
means that you end up closing them, and
you limit the recreational experience.
• Backcountry guardianship is almost
non-existent and few parks people know
the Willmore, except perhaps from aerial
overviews.
We talk about police feet on the
beat. Well, we need people, conservation
officers and SRD, regularly patrolling this
area along with the people that usually sit
on a regular basis and provide their input
and observation and their love turned
into enforcement.
• Lack of fire has allowed the former excellent
wildlife habitat of the area to become
overgrown with shrubbery and trees and poor
for ungulates in particular. Fire hazards are
also building to the point where conflagrations
may be supported once the area burns. A
program of controlled burns to create habitat
and relieve fuel loads is important.
Fire suppression is also nature
suppression.
• Species at risk such as the grizzly and
mountain caribou are not receiving adequate
official attention.
These are the concerns, and
I believe they’re just concerns that the
Alberta Wilderness Association has
put forward. However, it is my belief
that by working with associations such
as the Alberta Wilderness Association,
the government can accomplish this. I
will end as I began. The important work
begun by the current finance minister,
the Member for Foothills-Rocky View,
must be followed up on by the Minister
of Sustainable Resource Development,
the Member for Grande Prairie-Smoky.
This is something that is of value to all
Albertans, whether we live in the north
or not. We need to designate our parks
and protected areas, and we need to
protect them. Thank you for allowing me
to contribute.
5:20
The Deputy Speaker: The chair has
a list of speakers here. The first three
would be the hon. Solicitor General, the
hon. Member for Cypress-Medicine Hat,
and the hon. Member for Rocky Mountain
House.The hon. Solicitor General.
Mr. Oberle: Well, thank you, Mr.
Speaker, for the opportunity to
participate in this debate. I thank the
hon. Member for West Yellowhead for
bringing forward this very interesting
topic that kind of hits near and dear to
my heart as a practising forester in the
province of Alberta for many, many years.
It’s kind of interesting that we’ve always
set aside pieces of land in our province
and around the world to protect although
it was always poorly defined exactly what
protect meant. Certainly, Alberta has a
history and examples of protected areas.
Jasper and Banff are jewels of our national
parks system. Wood Buffalo park: we’ve
had protected areas for a very long time.
The discussion around protected
areas and what they should be and what
they provide and all those things was
refined greatly over the years. Somewhere
around the time that the United Nations
released the Brundtland commission report,
there was a world-wide effort to start
talking about protection of ecosystems,
functioning ecosystems, functioning populations, those kinds of things. There was a
mad rush, you know: Canada’s convention
on biodiversity and those sorts of things.
We’ve talked about protected
areas more and more. Somewhere along
the line we’ve towed along this very old
concept that we can increase the level
of protection for a piece of land by being
increasingly restrictive of its use. In some
places it’s a park. We can put trailers
and have weekend camping, but nobody
is talking about protecting an ecosystem
in that case. We might be protecting a
scenic view shed or something like that.
By being increasingly restrictive
of use, eliminating industrial activity and
eliminating hunting, fishing, trapping,
other uses up to the point where we
would build a chain fence or a wall
around apiece of ground: now it’s really
protected. And that might, in fact, be
true if our objective was to protect some
static entity; historic rock paintings, for
example. It could be very clearly demonstrated that if humans weren’t allowed
anywhere near it, that’s how it’s going to
last the longest, and if you allow people
up to touch it, that’s how it’s going to last
the least. In that particular case, being
very restrictive of access does in fact lead
Page 28
to increased or more rigorous protection.
What about if the value we’re
trying to protect is not static? Ecological
values – for example, functioning ecosystems, functioning populations – are not
static, and simply putting a fence around
them doesn’t preserve them for future
generations. That’s been proven in spades.
You know, some of that thinking came out
of Cape Breton Highlands national park,
where they allowed a system to evolve
that was all over-mature spruce and fir.
The budworm came in and cleaned it out,
just wiped that park out in a matter of
weeks at way higher levels than normally
would have happened because we didn’t
intervene and create a population
situation there that would have handled a
spruce budworm outbreak.
You may be able to make the
argument that we’re setting ourselves up
for disaster from fire or pine beetle in
some of our parks by doing exactly the
same thing: refusing to intervene. But
you’ll notice that in Jasper park, for example, they’ve been quite proactive over the
last few years about habitat maintenance
or landscape vegetation maintenance.
They’re doing burns. They’re actually doing single-tree logging events. It’s
wonderful, and they’re trying to maintain
a condition for future generations. That’s
the point of protection when it comes to
an ecosystem. It’s a dynamic system. You
have to decide what future condition you
want and then: what action and tools do I
need to take in order to make that future
condition hold true?
In just ignoring it, it isn’t going to
happen. The only thing that you know is
that it won’t stay in its current condition.
It’s going to change. Our forests are
dynamic, and the populations that live
in them are dynamic. So we require
management plans. I agree with the hon.
member and the hon. Member for West
Yellowhead. We do require management
plans because we want to define what
condition we want to maintain this
protected area in and what we have to do
to ensure that it stays in that condition.
The “what do we have to do?”
requires some form of intervention. It’s
often habitat intervention, controlled
burns or some other disturbance, that
will alter the vegetation pattern on the
landscape, but it could be population
intervention as well. In that regard, I
wholeheartedly support the efforts of
the Member for West Yellowhead in that
I believe that hunting, fishing, trapping,
those activities, are highly effective
management tools and can be used in
accordance with a management plan to
make a system unfold the way we want
it to unfold, which will give us the future
desired condition that we want, which
is why we protected the area in the first
place. Merrily sticking our heads in the
sand, putting a fence around something,
and saying that it’s protected will not
work. We need active management tools,
and the tools that the hon. Member for
West Yellowhead defined are certainly
part of a wide tool box of interventions
that we could do in order to achieve a
desired condition in a protected area. I
strongly support the member’s motion,
Mr. Speaker.
Member for Cypress-Medicine Hat,
followed by the hon. Member for Rocky
Mountain House.
Mr. Mitzel: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s
a pleasure and an honour to rise today
to speak to Motion 507, proposed by
the hon. Member for West Yellowhead.
At first blush, when I looked at this, it
looked like a negative motion, a move
that would not bring forward changes.
But on a closer look at it, it’s apt. It’s very
apt. This motion focuses on preserving
the Willmore Wilderness Park Act. I’ll
go a step further, then, from what the
other hon. members have said. It’s been
suggested – and I think the suggestion
could possibly be true – that by the inclusion of the Willmore wilderness into the
UNESCO world heritage site designation,
there may be no need for the Willmore
Wilderness Park Act once this designation
is made.
Therein, Mr. Speaker, lies the
problem. As we’ve been discussing, the
Willmore Wilderness Act was passed in
1959. It was an act promoted by locals,
introduced in 1959 by Norman Willmore,
the MLA for Edson. This act established
the Willmore wilderness park, where
traditional land uses, including trapping,
hunting, fishing, and outfitting, would be
permitted and preserved. This act also
restricts all motor vehicles from the area,
where the only permitted transportation is by foot, horse, or bicycle. The
Willmore Wilderness Act was clearly
legislation created by the people for the
people of Alberta. It was created so
that there would be assurances of the
proper management and conservation
of resources within the park as well as
ensuring the perpetuation of traditional
activities such as outfitting, hunting, fishing, and trapping.
Alberta has a rich history of
locally driven environmental legislation
that protects our environment as well
as traditional land uses; for example, the
Wilderness Areas, Ecological Reserves,
Natural Areas and Heritage Rangelands
Act, which became law in the late 1990s.
This act defines and preserves significant
ecological areas across Alberta. They
were divided into wilderness area
designations with respective specific
regulations. Similar ecological reserves,
natural areas, and heritage rangelands
had their own distinct regulations as well,
with ecological reserves being the most
restrictive.
I was a part of the discussions
for the areas in my part of the province;
namely, the southeast of Alberta. I cochaired the committee that looked into
all the applications and met with stakeholders to determine the significance of
each area and then recommended the
approved areas for designation. Our committee was charged with not only coming
up with appropriate areas but were given
parameters that stated there must be
a certain percentage of Alberta lands
designated in both ecological reserves
and in natural areas.
At the beginning, Mr. Speaker,
there was no mention of heritage rangelands. This particular designation came up
when the committee could not come up
with the desired percentage for natural
areas. Our committee agreed to the new
designation with restrictions: one, that it
would remain under Alberta agriculture,
Page 29
as the grazing leases were then; second,
that all existing uses would be maintained.
Since then, heritage rangelands, because
it’s within an all-inclusive act, is now
under Alberta Tourism, Parks and
Recreation. The mandate of this ministry
is somewhat different from the mandate
of Agriculture.
5:30
Another example. The Alberta
Hunting, Fishing and Trapping Heritage
Act is another example of legislation that
protects our traditional land uses and
also our cultural values. This act created
a statutory right to hunt, fish, and trap
that could be defended in court. I had
the honour of bringing this act forward
and having it proclaimed. Again, this is
legislation that many Albertans support,
specifically because it’s part of their
heritage. That’s why so many Albertans
support the Willmore Wilderness Park
Act, not only because it was established
by locals but because it has proven
effective in maintaining and sustaining the
Willmore wilderness park.
The Willmore Wilderness Park
Act is a clear example of locals pursuing
environmental sustainability in a way that
maintains traditional land uses. Willmore
park, Mr. Speaker, is considered one of
the best-kept secrets, in large part due
to the act that regulates it. The land
stewardship of this park is exceptional,
which may be why some have suggested
it be incorporated into a UNESCO
world heritage site. If for the past 50
years the Willmore Wilderness Park
Act has led to effective management of
this park, there is no need to change it.
I support the act as it is now. It doesn’t
need to be amended or abolished to fit
in with any international guidelines or
regulations. The present act is a strong
piece of legislation that will ensure the
environmental sustainability of this park
as well as the traditional land uses well
into the future.
For me, the concerns far out
weigh the advantages of being a UNESCO
site. I thank our hon. colleague from West
Yellowhead for introducing this motion,
and I do not have anything whatsoever
against UNESCO or the strong mandate
that they have and the prestigious
recognition that designation as a world
heritage site would bring to the Willmore
wilderness. What is of concern to me, Mr.
Speaker: as I noted in my example of what
has happened with the heritage rangeland
designation, being now administered by
a totally different body from what it was
originally intended with a vastly different
mandate, these grazing lands are now
under parks administration. This is what I
fear may happen: to a much larger degree
it’s an organization – and I’m talking about
UNESCO – not located in Alberta and
not having the same knowledge of the history and values of Alberta and Albertans
who would suddenly be in charge. I’m sure
the intent is to have things remain as they
are right now, but as my previous example
showed, I’m suspicious of management
by people who are not from here but,
rather, from around the world and with
headquarters in New York. With that, Mr.
Speaker, I would urge all members of this
House to stand in support of Motion 507.
Thank you.
The Deputy Speaker: The hon. Member for Rocky Mountain House, followed
by the hon. Member for Calgary-Buffalo.
Mr. Lund: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker,
and thanks to the hon. Member for West
Yellowhead for bringing this very important topic to the floor of the House. I
had the privilege of being in the Willmore
wilderness along about ’57, ’58, in that
time frame. I was one of those bad guys
with industry going into that pristine area.
Mr. Groeneveld: Still are.
Mr. Lund: Okay. I had the opportunity
to be in that area again a couple of times
not that many years ago, and I was
really pleased to see how little things have
changed and how this act actually has protected the area. As the Member for Peace
River was talking about with an ecosystem,
with an area of that size certainly you are
able to protect an ecosystem and have it
work. Of course, it’s over 50 years since
it was proclaimed a provincial park by Dr.
Norman Willmore. Incidentally, I believe
he was the minister that was killed in an
accident between here and Edson on the
highway. I remember that situation was
a very sad occasion because he certainly
knew the portfolio that he had and did a
lot of good things with it.
When you look at the activities
that are permitted in that area, it’s very,
very important to recognize that our
parks act is a very protective piece of
legislation. It does give the opportunity
for management plans that can vary some,
but it restricts a lot of the activity that
would tend to destroy an ecosystem. As
the Member for Peace River was talking
about, these things do change, so there
are times when perhaps we need to
intervene. I remember about 15 years ago
or so, when rabies was going rampant and
a lot of the wildlife was dying from that
disease, there was some intervention in
that case to try to limit the area that was
being affected.
But I’m really worried if we
start turning these things over to, say,
UNESCO. For the life of me, I don’t
understand why some Albertans would
be supporting this particular move. It’s
not a lot different than the Y to Y, the
Yellowstone to Yukon, concept. That
would be taking a strip all along the
national parks from the Montana border
clear up and through Alberta and on
into Yukon. This concept, of course, was
something that we dealt with back in the
year 2000, even with the national parks.
I remember meeting with one of the
superintendents. He suggested to me that
we should have a buffer zone in Alberta
for the park, and they would manage the
buffer zone. I said: that’s fine as long as
we have an area inside the park that we
would manage. Of course, that wasn’t
acceptable. So it was a one-way street.
With so many things like this, that’s really
the way it works.
The people in Alberta that
promote this sort of thing: you have to
look at where they’re coming from and
what their ideas are. Quite frankly, they
are in the minority, and this is the only
way that they feel they could get the
opportunity to govern, not just to have
input– we provide them input – but
actually get the opportunity to govern.
When you look at the park act, when you
look at what it’s done for the Willmore,
Page 30
I don’t believe they could manage it any
better. I think it’s just wonderful the way
it’s currently being managed.
To think about turning this over
to an organization like UNESCO – I
remember an incident that we had down
at Dinosaur provincial park where an
oil company drilled a well just inside the
park. If I remember right, it was 70 feet.
That was an interesting one. It created
a huge, huge incident. Because it’s a
UNESCO site, it got international play.
Quite frankly, it was a stupid mistake
that somebody made. If you look at the
boundary of the park, it’s right along the
lip of the valley except for this one little
place where there was a quarter section
that came up maybe a hundred feet and
then back over, just a little triangular
area. Somehow the surveyors missed it.
The well went in. They drilled. It started
producing. Then somebody discovered
that, well, really, it’s on the edge of the
park. It was one of those wells where
there was no surface disturbance. The
road that came into it: there was some
disturbance there. They managed to
reseed with the natural grass so that all
you would see as you were coming up
to it in a helicopter would be this little
green strip. That’s all you could see. But it
was an international event, and that was
all because it had been turned over to
UNESCO.
5:40
I’m really pleased that we have
this opportunity to nip this in the bud.
There are areas like the one at Dinosaur
provincial park. There’s access to the area.
If you’d turned this over – there are some
that are saying: well, it’s a great thing to
do because of tourism. Well, really, that
means that you’re going to have to have
the access in there, and you’re going to
have a lot more people accessing the area.
Of course, they’re not satisfied with just
leaving it in the wilderness state. There
are a lot of things that happen if you have
too many people going into an area.
I’m very pleased that we
are going to pass this, I would hope
unanimously, to send the right message
out that this motion is a good motion and
that we don’t want to change it. Thank
you, Mr.Speaker.
Member for Calgary-Buffalo, followed
by the hon. Member for Grande PrairieWapiti.
Mr. Hehr: Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker.
It is indeed an honour to rise and speak to
this motion, Motion 507, on the Willmore
wilderness park. I’d like to thank the
Member for West Yellowhead for bringing
forward this legislation as it looks like
good legislation for both the park and
the people whom this act is meant to
serve and to assist in their way of life. For
instance, traditional land-use activities are
an important way of life for the aboriginal
communities in the Willmore area, and
we should not be seeking limitations on
these practices without good reason.
We heard some of those good reasons
brought up by the Solicitor General, that
these forests and these areas do not live
in isolation, that you don’t just put up a
fence or a brick wall, that these forests
and wild areas don’t prosper in that way.
It takes interaction in the way they’ve
always been used and have interaction
with, I guess, other beings and other
activities to make these wild areas flourish.
Now, the second component
of that is that although we like to have
these areas that have all this activity going
on in them to sustain the health of the
area, there’s a tipping point when there
is too much human interaction. That’s
why conservation organizations such
as the Alberta Wilderness Association
believe that consumptive activities like
hunting and trapping are sustainable, but
they have to be managed properly under
the values of healthy wildlife populations
and biodiversity. That’s where this act
and our protection of this park have to
be co-ordinated with our Sustainable
Resource Development department to
monitor the effects of any activity in the
Willmore wilderness park.
Like I said, I agree with this act. I
agree on having healthy, active wild areas
such as the Willmore wilderness park.
They have to have some of these activities.
We also have to monitor these as Alberta
is 3.5 million people, heading for 5 million
people. Lots of activities with industry
are going on in that area and industry
that should go on in that area, but with all
that activity, with us doing some of these
things, it needs continued monitoring and
continuing enforcement. The boots-onthe-street analogy by my hon. colleague
for Calgary- Varsity was very right.
Without adequate enforcement these
good things we do in this Legislature
become meaningless.
On that note, I would encourage
some of these things to be done through
our land-use framework and through the
development of our policies and practices
through that framework and the various
divisions that are laid out in there.
There are also some areas that are noted
for improvement from those in the park
itself. Willmore wilderness park needs
an updated park management plan that
addresses a number of concerns voiced by
environmental and conservation groups.
A draft plan was apparently prepared
in 1980 but not finalized. Like I said, the
government needs to move forward
on the implementation of the land-use
framework, and consultative mechanisms
with aboriginal populations need to be
renewed and strengthened in advance of
any discussions about traditional land-use
activities.
Nonetheless, despite these
reservations and despite this advice, if
I could call it that, to the government, I
think this is a good step forward and will
allow for sound forestry management
and sound management of the Willmore
wilderness park as well as allow for
traditional usage by our aboriginal
communities of many and much of the
wilderness and streams and for trapping
and the like.
Nevertheless,
those are my comments. Thank you very
much for allowing me to speak on the
record on this very good motion. Thank
you, Mr. Speaker.
The Deputy Speaker: The
hon. Member for Grande PrairieWapiti, followed by the hon. Member for
Strathmore-Brooks.
Mr. Drysdale: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
I’m pleased and honoured today to speak
to Motion 507. The purpose of Motion
507 is to ensure that the government
Page 31
of Alberta continues to recognize the
Willmore Wilderness Park Act as it
is. The Willmore Wilderness Park
Act promotes the management and
conservation of the resources within
Willmore wilderness park and provides
the legislative assurance of the traditional
activities like outfitting, trapping, hunting,
and fishing.
Activities like hunting and fishing
are key elements of conservation. Hunters
and fishers are true conservationists. By
continuing to support their activities, as
Motion 507 urges, the Willmore wilderness park will continue to be preserved
for future generations. Albertans have
exemplified their dedication to conservation, and as such Motion 507 promotes
that Willmore wilderness park stay fully
within Alberta jurisdiction. The Willmore
Wilderness Park Act has proven effective
in maintaining and sustaining Willmore
wilderness park for the past 50 years and
will continue to do so in the future.
Mr. Speaker, I’ve been going to
this park since the 1960s as a boy with my
dad on horseback trips, and I can attest
to you that this park has been maintained
and is in as good a state today as it was
40 years ago. In fact, I have pictures of the
side of a mountain from a friend of my
dad’s from the 1930s, and looking at the
same site last year, the site looks better
today than it did then because back
then it was burnt. The whole side of the
mountain was burnt black and didn’t look
that great, but it looks good today, I can
tell you. In fact, it’s even harder to find
the old trails. Like, there used to be trails
from the natives and the hunters from
years ago back there. Now you can’t even
find the trails on horseback. It’s grown
back into its natural state.
I suggest that we leave the park
in the control of Albertans, as it is. It’s
beautiful back there in the mountains, the
intersection mountain where the AlbertaB.C. border is and where it bends to go
south. If you get up on that mountain, you
can see a long ways, and you can see no
sign of man or interference. I’d like to keep
this for my children and my grandchildren.
I would like to thank my colleague the Member for West Yellowhead
for bringing Motion 507 forward. I fully
support it, and I encourage all members
to support it. Thank you.
Member for Strathmore-Brooks.
5:50
with regard to this afternoon. Mr.
Speaker, I certainly support the intent of
this motion and look forward to being
able to support it. Thank you.
The Deputy Speaker: Do any other
hon. members wish to speak on the motion?
Seeing none, the chair shall now
Mr. Doerksen: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
call on the hon. Member for West YellowIt’s also my privilege to rise today and
head to close the debate on Motion 507.
speak in favour of Motion 507. I would
Mr. Campbell: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
like to also thank the Member for West
Motion 507 may not be popular among
Yellowhead for bringing this motion
certain environmentalists who have
forward. I’ve listened with interest and
urged a greater global control over
intently to the presentations that have
Alberta lands and especially the natural
already been made this afternoon and
lands, but I can say that Motion 507 will
certainly support the sentiment that has
instill confidence in Albertans who are
been expressed. I have to admit that I
concerned about the ramifications of
have not actually been in the Willmore
transforming the Willmore wilderness
wilderness park but had the opportunity
park as a UNESCO world heritage site.
to visit it online to view some of the
`
The Willmore Wilderness Park
absolutely fabulous pictures that have
Act has proven effective in maintaining
been taken and put online with regard to
and sustaining our Willmore wilderness
Willmore. While I haven’t actually been
park. The Willmore wilderness act is an
to the park, I certainly support the prinexample of locals pursuing environmental
ciple that other members have brought
sustainability in a way that maintains
forward here this afternoon. When you
traditional land uses. Mr. Speaker, the
look at an area that’s 46,000 square
Willmore wilderness act is popular
kilometers and it has been protected by
among many of the locals in the Grande
local input and the dedication of local
Cache area as well as many Albertans
residents of that area for more than 50
from all over this great province who
years and hearing the other members
participate in activities in the Willmore
who have talked about the way that this
wilderness park.
park has been preserved and protected
I would ask all my colleagues
by the existing Willmore Wilderness Park to support this motion, and I would like
Act, I see no reason why we would want
to thank all of my colleagues who spoke
to further restrict activity that has gone
today on behalf of it. Thank you, Mr.
on in that area for very many years.
Speaker.
I had the opportunity to go on
[Motion Other than Government
the Willmore Wilderness Foundation
Motion 507 carried]
website. The mission of that organization
is to preserve the history of the area,
focus on the advancement of education
of the park, restore historical pack trails
and sites, and enhance the use of the
Willmore wilderness park for Albertans
and visitors alike. That is a success story
that I certainly want to support.
Again, the principle of not adding
further restrictions when there is not
a need to do that, I think, is something
that we need to respect. I want to thank
the Member for West Yellowhead for
bringing that issue forward. It’s one that
he certainly knows well and has a great
deal of experience with, and I appreciate
his asking me to make some comments
Yo uth Mento red i n Traditio nal S kil ls
Foundation recognizes that our
youth are the future… for both
the continuation of our lifestyle
and the preservation of Willmore
Wilderness Park. For over a decade
the Foundation has been mentoring
youth on the trail, showing them the
ways of the land.
We dedicate this issue to all the
hard working youth who had the
desire and drive to learn the old ways.
Pictured above is Tyler Hallock
& Logan Leonard cleaning up debris
left in the Park at an abandoned
weather station. Thanks to a grant
from the Alberta Conservation
Association we were able to clean up
this mess plus miles and miles of red
ribbon left behind by the Pine Beetle
crews. While there is much more
to do, we can take comfort that we
have a young contingent of Willmore
Warriors in training today!
From Left to Right: Willmore Warrior Trail hands
Banjo Hallock, Logan Leonard,
Dylan Kowalski, Eli Hallock, Tyler Hallock
with Chehala Leonard in the background.

Willmore Wilderness Newsletter - Willmore Wilderness Foundation

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